The Business of Misery
by ladylily101
Summary: Murakami Chiharu isn't interested in a perfect life. Hashimoto Sugiura, programmed to strictly follow rules, one chance, no exceptions. Takahashi Michiko effectively tags along for the ride. The embryo. Who wouldn't want a shot at it? More inside.
1. Bouncy Balls and Angryness

**Title:** _The Business of Misery_

**Summary:** Murakami Chiharu isn't interested in a perfect life. There's nothing special about that. Two other girls, however, do have a strong idea of what being in power would be like. Hashimoto Sugiura, programmed to strictly follow rules, one chance, no exceptions. Her chara, Tomo, shows a strong interest in becoming human, if only temporarily. Michiko, the owner of two charas, Shishi and Fuu, effectively tags along for the ride. The embryo. Who wouldn't want a shot at it? An innocent look towards the guardians folds into a more complicated friendship. That's what the embryo can do to people. (&&& LOTS OF OTHER EPICALLY AWESOME SPECIAL STUFF HAPPENS. SO READ IT! NOW!)

**Category:** Shugo Chara!

**Rating:** T for perverted comments, swearing, and kissing. xD There's not a ton of swearing, though, don't worry, it usually comes in bursts and there is definitely a reason for it.

**Pairings:** I'M NOT GONNA TELL YOOOUU :D So that way it's a surprise!! :3

**Written By:** Me and two friends! :D Yay! It's totally awesome.

**Begins When:** Tadase/Amu/Nagi/Rima and all are in 8th grade. Figure out the rest for yourself. :D

Chapter 1: Bouncy Balls and Angry-ness

**Chiharu's POV:**

I sat on the steps of my school, watching a girl throw a ball against the ground.

I had always loved to play with bouncy balls and usually found the steady bouncing of the ball calming.

But today, I was starring at it with distaste.

"Hey Chiharu-chan!" the girl said as the small rubber ball collided with my skull, "Play with us."

Now playing with them was the last thing on my mind.

I wanted to crush them.

"GET THIS THING AWAY FROM ME." I said, picking up the small ball in my palm, rolling it around for a second, then tossing it back as hard and as far as I could.

The girl tried to catch it, but she missed, and it skipped across the schoolyard.

She turned to fetch it, but I screeched, "Don't you dare go get it!"

She looked at me, looking rather surprised that a quite girl like me could act as angry as a bull.

I had snapped. Surprised at my self, I knew the only option was to run away.

I mean what else could I do, It's not like I could explain the REAL reason for my change in character. Could I?

I didn't get very far before Kaiso whispered, "Behind you!"

Looking back I saw the student council's vice president chasing me.

Now I was in trouble.

What could I do, I had to get away and avoid telling the truth.

"Kaiso, Character Change" I whispered to my shoulder.

Suddenly, I had grease marks on my face and I started to take up speed.

I ran as far as I could, but even with Kaiso's Character Change I still quickly ran out of energy.

I made it as far as the soccer field before I fell face first on the grass.

I tumbled over once before landing on my back.

"You're a good sprinter. Too bad I'm good at long distance."

I looked up and there stood the vice president.

**Sugiura's POV:**

"Crazy chicks, bursting out at my students..." I sighed to myself in dismay.

"What seems to be the problem Chiharu-san?"

The girl looked shocked that I remember her name.

Like I was above all that.

Seriously.

What the heck?

"Need some help?" I offered my hand, looking as annoyed as possible.

Maybe that was a mistake, because the girl glared at me.

"Look, you're not in trouble... just relax, I just want to talk."

Chiharu seemed to smirk a bit, "Yeah, you wouldn't even listen if I told you."

How many times did I get that a week?

"Oh, you're so important, ignore me," was a constant reminder that I got that I actually had some power at my age.

That was actually starting to bug me.

"I'm not more important than you... like, seriously, I'm normal."

"I don't think you're better!" Chihira snapped back at me, which took me aback. "In fact, I think you're not worthy of MY presence!"

That was a first.

I don't think I had ever even considered someone else being MORE important than me, rather than the other way around.

"Now that's not a good way to talk to me." I withdrew my hand, letting her lie in the mud. " I need an explanation NOW."

Chiharu glared at me, before taking a deep breath, "You wouldn't believe me."

"You'd be surprised... I hear a lot of stories every week, I believe a lot of crazy things."

"I don't care!" Chihara got up quickly, and took off again in the opposite direction.

"Great..." I mumbled, "Another loony... Isn't that right Tomo?"

I patted a large egg inside of my side bag.

It was taking an extremely long time to hatch, and out of boredom, I had named it.

Tomo, the cutest name I could come up with, though it wasn't actually all that cute.

I always failed at all that "cute" stuff.

I hadn't the faintest idea what would come out of it, but I assumed some sort of large bird.

'Tomo is a good name for a baby bird.' I smiled to myself, 'Raising it will be fun.'

The egg quivered, and I laughed lightly.

I couldn't understand it, but I was definitely excited to have a "child" of my own.

** Chiharu's POV:**

My lungs wanted to scream.

I was at the back of the school now trying to get some of the mud off my arms and legs while I caught my breath.

I was trying to maintain my composure and stay calm.

Everyone already thought that I was a small quiet girl.

Before I was content with my situation, always trying to be real and material.

That was, before Kaiso came into my life.

I hasn't even been a month and I was already struggling to remain calm and in control.

It wasn't even lunch and I was ready to explode.

Suddenly the bell rang.

"Better hurry to class," I started walking back to class when I suddenly realized, _"SHE_ sits behind me! Ah-man, I'm going to die! Maybe I should turn back. Or I can..."

Before I could turn back and think about a way to get out of class, I was staring at my seat.

"Too late to turn back now."

I took my seat.

I didn't want to look at where Sugiura-sama was supposed to be, sitting.

A few seconds later, when Sugiura-sama entered the room to take her seat, something seemed different.

Throughout class, I managed to pay enough attention to realize that Sugiura-sama was more downbeat than usual.

No calling out here and there to answer the teacher.

"Michiyo-san..." Our teacher called, "Can you answer?"

A small brunette girl shook her head, "Sorry sir."

"I see..." He sighed, "Then Sasaki-san?"

That was where she did something unexpected.

She stood up, slamming her hands on the desk, "WHY DO YOU ALWAYS EXPECT ME TO KNOW!?"

"Hashimoto-san please refrain from such outbursts..."

"REFRAIN? REFRAIN!?" She screamed again, "How about you refrain from sucking!?"

And with that, Sugiura-sama stomped out of the room.

This was definitely NOT normal Sugiura-sama behavior.

**AN: OMG FIRST CHAPTER! :D There's a ton more written too, both in chapters and random bits. It's epically awesome, and I think it gets better. This chapter is mostly to introduce you to Sugi and Chichi. There's a couple more main OCs; one you'll meet soon and one you won't meet for a looooong time. :D Please review!**


	2. Changes and Lying

**AN: Yay! More chapters! lol. Nothing terribly exciting is happening yet, though. D: (Yet being the key word.)**

Chapter 2: Changes and Lying

**Sugiura's POV:**

I stood with my back to the closed door wondering what just happened to me.

Why had I just blown off my teacher and classmates over a stupid (and simple) question?

"Dang it!" I chanted over and over.

What could I do now?

"Pointless going back in, I'd just have to explain to everyone..." I sighed, "Can I even explain this to myself?"

I decided to head for home.

For the next few minutes (best referred to as the seven blocks between my house and the school) I dodged the glances of anyone on the street.

I didn't need someone asking me why I wasn't in school.

I set my books down on the counter, and fished around for a book I had taken from the library a week earlier.

But I found something else instead.

"TOMO!?" I screamed in shock.

The egg was shattered, nothing in or around it except bits of egg shell.

I dumped out my bag, frantically searching for anything that could have come out of it.

"Nothing..." I said in dismay, "Two years... and not a bird, not even a snake, nothing..."

I picked up the egg shells and placed the egg on the table "I should have known, it was too fancy to be natural...Such a waste...maybe I can glue it back together."

I found my book, and sat down to read; I hadn't had a chance to read in so long, too many student duties.

Hearing a smash, I looked up.

No egg.

"Dang! Could it have rolled off the table?"

Indeed it had, and it was broken into even smaller pieces now.

"Gluing it back together now is pointless..." I sighed, gathering up the shattered remains.

"Don't be so down! Just pick yourself up!" a voice sneered.

**Chiharu's POV:**

I was still in shock.

Even though the event had happened at least 20 minutes ago.

The idea that the perfect class vice president would be able to do such a things as talk back to the teacher and then walk out of the class room like she didn't care still shocked me.

She was so composed, together and in control when she was scolding me.

But in the classroom she was a completely different person.

Wait, that was it.

She was completely different.

It must be... no. How could it be?

There had been nothing floating there. Nothing to suggest that it was so.

But that was the only possible explanation.

** Sugiura's POV:**

"WHAT THE HECK!?" I dropped the shells onto the floor.

A small figure was floating in front of me.

"BACK OFF!" I screeched, grabbing the closest thing to me and flinging it at the floating figure.

I had grabbed my book, and that was what hit the thing a second later.

It made a horrid noise, like a mix between a squeak and scream.

But it floated back up a second later.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt you.... I'm Kinshoukodawaritsukurite!" it chimed, rubbing its head.

I gave it a dumbfounded look.

"No," I looked back at 'Kinshoukodawaritsukurite', "You're Tomo."

He, she, it, or whatever it was, looked a tad confused, "No.... It's Kinshoukodawaritsukurite."

"NO. You're TOMO." I empathized the name, to make sure it could understand me.

It gave me a sour face, "B-b-but-"

"T-O-M-O," I said, holding up another object threateningly.

"I GET IT!!!" The little creature shook its arms furiously, "TOMO TOMO TOMO!"

In a flurry, Tomo was suddenly floating in front of my face.

"Eek!" I smacked him down onto the table, "WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU?".

"Will you stop!?" Tomo squeaked, "I don't need this! I don't deserve to be hit!"

It wasn't a problem keeping Tomo pinned down with one hand, I could have done it with one finger if I had wanted.

I searched frantically for something to hold him down with, and glass was the first thing I spotted.

So I tossed it on top of him, treating him as if he was a spider I NEEDED out of my house.

"LET ME OUT!" Tomo pounded on the glass, "COME ON!"

But it came out more as, "LEB MEH OU! CO ON!"

The glass was a good insulator.

"WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU!?" I replied, "If you answer that, and I like it, then you can come out!"

"I'm a guardian chara! Your guardian chara! Your would be self!" Tomo pouted, sitting down on the table (still under the glass, of course).

"My...would be self?"

**Chiharu's POV: **

School was over now.

And since I lived closest to Sugiura, I was the one to deliver homework to her.

"I just don't understand," Kaiso said, arms folded in dislike. "Why is it that you have to deliver her homework to her?"

"Don't know?" I asked, knowing the real answer but refusing to tell.

In actuality, I wanted to bring her some "bad" news.

Kaiso mumbled, "I could be home right now, all snug in my egg, but nooooo."

"Her house is just around the corner, be quiet and go home or something."

That shut Kaiso up, and she floated off.

I stepped up the stairs and knocked slowly on the door, "Sugiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!"

I had never called her that before, but truth be told, I had held more respect for her before too.

I had to wait for a few minutes before Sugi finally opened the door.

"Hi...?" Sugiura seemed a bit surprised to see me at her house.

"Afternoon Sugi-chan!" I sneered, "The teacher sent me to tell you some rather bad news..."

"Oh?"

"R-right!" I just remember that I hadn't come up with what the bad news yet, "You've been expelled! That's it! Because of your outburst, and since you're a role model student, you've been expelled!"

Sugiura looked shocked, "A-are you sure...?"

"Positive! Absolutely positive!" I repeated myself, just to help get the message through her head, there was no way she'd take this well.

"Ok then..." Sugiura's eyes were wide now, and I couldn't tell if she believed me or not, "I'd better be going..."

Sugiura began to shut the door, and right before she had shut the door all the way, I noticed something by her left shoulder.

"A chara...?" I thought.

But Sugiura was already inside, and I could promise you, she wouldn't come back out.

But my job was done, and after that day, if I was lucky, I'd never see Sugi again.  
_The next day..._  
"No Sugi-chan today Kaiso! I guess she really did believe me!" I smiled in content.

"Right..." Kaiso didn't look too convinced.

"Have a problem smarty?" I said, adding an annoyed tone to my voice.

Kaiso smirked, "You must be blind or something... No Sugi? I saw her just this morning with Kairi in the conference room."

"Awwww, seriously? She's always with him... I should've known she'd be discussing who-knows-what in the conference room!" I moaned.

"Wanna go spy?" Kaiso chirped, "I'd like to know what those two talk about!"

"Same, but Kairi's pretty alert, I wouldn't be surprised if Sugi was too..." I made a face at the idea, but then reluctantly sighed, "Fine..."

"Right!"

Kaiso was gone in a flash.

Sheesh, that chara was quick.

**Sugiura's POV:**

"Kairi, pleeeeeeeeeeeeease." I begged, trying to look as pathetic as possible.

"What? No, you expect me to just transfer with you? What gave you an idea like that!? WHY ME?"

"But I don't want to go alooooooooooooooooooooooooone, it's a whole plane ride away!"

We were sorting through papers, maybe not the best time for me to bring up the subject of me switching schools suddenly.

Asking the student council's president to come along with me probably wasn't the best idea either.

Even being my regular persuasive self probably wasn't to get me far this time.

"Kairi.... come on, it's not like you've never gone to a different school before, I mean, you did transfer that one time right? Last year?" I pointed out, recalling that Kairi had in fact been missing for at least a month.

"Yeah? So? That's not that same as leaving for the entire year, or longer."

"SUCK IT UP AND BE A MAN!"

That one obviously took Kairi aback a little bit.

I loved being persuasive.

"B-but I like it here, I mean, sure it was nice to go for a few months, but I don't want to go any longer." Kairi stammered, "I can't just leave."

Sure I felt a LITTLE guilty about shouting at a kid younger than me, but then again, this wasn't about him, it was about me.

"Then come for a month! If you like it, you can stay longer!"

"No no, that'd be a lot of money wasted on the plane ride for nothing."

Protesting, once again.

"My family would pay for you! I know they would! They'd be glad that I had someone I knew coming along!" I informed him.

Then I recalled something.

"Kairi..." I grinned, "I know how badly you want to become a samurai."

"Yeah..."

"And you also know that my uncle runs the sword arts academy just outside of town..."

"Yeah, I know that..." Kairi nodded.

"And I am assuming you know that only the best students can get in, and it's still very, very expensive."

"Get to the point."

"The only way to get in for free is through scholarship... or..." I added a pause fordramatic effect, and dropping my voice to almost a whisper, added, "Personal recommendation."

Kairi glared at me, "I know."

"If you come along, I may be able to, I don't know, slip my uncle a recommendation for you... I do have that kind of power after all."

Kairi seemed to contemplate it for a moment, before muttering, "Deal."

I grinned. "We're leaving Friday."

** Chiharu's POV:**  
"Su-Sugi believed me?" I muttered to Kaiso, completely stunned.

Okay, so I hadn't known someone could be that gullible.

And she was taking Kairi with her to a new school?

I thought she was going to ask the teacher if she had been expelled for real.

I guess I was wrong.

Oops.

Not that it really mattered.

Even if they DID trace the lie back to me, I would be half way across Japan by then.

"Guess you were right. She IS that gullible. Chiharu? Is something wrong?" Kaiso whispered in my ear.

That was one thing about Kaiso that bugged me. She could tell when I was feeling stressed.

Trying to act cool, I simply got up and walked away.

"Nope! I'm just surprised she's moving away, not just changing schools. I can only hope she's not moving to the same school as me."

Still...

Where was Sugi moving?

**AN: More soon! I just didn't feel like going through and proofreading more chapters yet, and I might have done a crappy job with this one, so please don't hate if you find a misspelled word; I'm tired, I miss those things. Please reviewwww~! :3**


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